Additional samples are available upon request.
]]>Here are a few images from this fun-filled wedding reception.
A beautiful four-tiered, filigree, wedding cake surrounded by autumn leaves, acorns and votive candles.
The happy couple cutting their wedding cake.
A shot of the matron of honor’s beautiful autumn bouquet consisting of peach roses, coral calla lilies, orchids and green berries. The bouquet’s handle is wrapped in a pretty chartreuse ribbon.
The bridesmaids’ bouquets made a beautiful centerpiece.
Clearly these two were having a wonderful time and it was an honor to be there to help capture it! Congratulations guys and we wish you many happy years together!
Until next time, here’s a kiss and a smile!
]]>Here are a few photos of my first “creation”.
I thought that I’d share a few helpful tips that I picked up from our first lesson.
It’s important to keep your containers and tools clean. Our instructor highly recommended using Clorox with hot water. Clear, glass vases are the top choice so that you can see when the water is starting to get a little cloudy and needs changing.
Before placing your flowers in a vase you’ll want to follow these simple steps:
1) Remove any broken stems and/or petals.
2) Remove ferns that will fall below the water level of the vase.
3) Using pruning shears, cut the stems on an angle under warm water.
4) Add fresh flower food to your vase.
If you don’t have flower food, you can make a homemade batch like so:
– 1 teaspoon of sugar
– 1 teaspoon of vinegar
– 1 quart of water
5) Add your flowers to your vase.
6) Arrange as you like.
More tips and floral loveliness soon. Until next time, here’s a kiss and a smile!
]]>If our instructor places an order with his buyer in Holland by 11:00a.m. eastern standard time, his order is fulfilled and delivered to his floral shop the very next day. The flowers are flown from Aalsmeer, Holland to John F. Kennedy airport in New York and trucked to their various floral shop destinations.
A large percentage of the flowers that we buy come from Holland, but some flowers are imported from South America and flown into Miami. Then they’re trucked up to New York. Others are trucked across the United States from California to New York. Wherever their point of origin may have been, it doesn’t matter to me. I love them all! There’s nothing like the scent of fresh flowers.
In honor of the national flower of the Netherlands, the tulip, I present for your viewing pleasure a few images of some red, striped tulips. I purchased these at a local Trader Joe’s supermarket. Shhhh!!! Don’t tell my instructor. He’ll have a fit!
Until next time, here’s a kiss and a smile!
]]>1) Line: This is the framework of your design. It creates the primary foundation and provides a visual path for the eye to follow.
2) Form: This is the external appearance of your design creating its composition. A well-designed arrangement is three dimensional with length, width, and depth. In general, designs can be round, oval, rectangular or triangular in shape. An exception to this rule is another form of design which uses an S-shaped, curved line known as the Hogarth line, named after William Hogarth, an 18th century English painter, satirist, and writer.
3) Space: This is the three dimensional area in and around your design. There are three types of space:
The focal area is the visual point in your design that your eye is drawn to. It’s the highlight and focus of your design.
4) Texture: This is the visible surface structure of the materials you’re using in the composition of your design. Each material has a unique characteristic. Some examples are: leaves, blossoms, dried materials, and other accessories used in your design to provide visual interest. Texture can be fine or course, smooth or rough, bright or dull. You can create tension in your design by using contrasting elements.
5) Color: Color plays a pivotal role in each arrangement. It can create a dramatic effect on the viewer. When colors are combined properly, the results can be breathtaking! Color gives your design personality and makes a statement. There are two different types of color schemes:
When we create a design, we want to place the darker-colored flowers on the inside of our arrangement because our eye is naturally drawn to them.
Here is my second creation using a mix of light and dark-colored flowers. Our assignment was to create a triangular-shaped design. How did I do?
More floral goodness soon. Until next time, here’s a kiss and a smile!
]]>1) Composition: The organization or grouping of different elements used to create a unified whole.
2) Unity: The relationship of the individual parts to each other which produces a single, cohesive unit.
3) Proportion: The comparative size relationship between ingredients within a design. This relationship can be measured in the quantity of flowers, length of the stems, or amount of materials used in a design. The container being used sets the proportions for most designs. The standard rule is 1 ½ to 2 times the height of the container. The setting in which the arrangement will appear determines the scale of the design.
4) Dominance: The visual organization within a design that emphasizes one or more aspects. When one element is emphasized, the others become secondary. The focal point, which we mentioned in a previous post, is an example of one area that’s dominant.
5) Balance: A design is balanced when the placement of the components conveys both physical and visual stability.
6) Harmony: Harmony is the pleasing aesthetic quality created by the careful selection of parts for a composition. It can be expressed in two ways: either through similar materials or contrasting components which are distinctively different. It’s usually achieved through the use of color, but also through texture, shape, or size of the materials.
7) Rhythm: The filling of a motif or formal element at regular or irregular intervals. It can be expressed in line, form, color, spacing between flowers, or the simple repeating of curves in planes within a composition. An example could be 12 pink tulips wrapped in cellophane.
Our latest assignment was creating an asymmetrical arrangement. Here is a peek at my interpretation:
An “L-shape” is formed with the fern and yellow daisy in the front. Hmm, I guess it would have been better to have taken a photo with a sideview so that you could see the true “L-shape” of the centerpiece, huh? Lesson learned. (chuckle)
Until next time, here’s a kiss and a smile!
]]>This past week we discussed the secondary design principles. These principles are an important consideration when creating your design. Each principle is related to one of the primary principles of design. The secondary principles are:
1) Scale: The size relationship of the composition to its placement. If you’re decorating a large area, you’ll want to create a large design to complement it. If it’s a small space, you’d want to create a small design that doesn’t overpower that space. Everything in the design should fit together.
2) Transition: This is the way that we relate one material to another within a design. We can graduate in size, shape, or color, (sequencing). Material is placed from smallest to largest, lightest to darkest.
3) Tension: Tension provides contrast. We can provide contrast through the use of color and through the shape of the flowers in our arrangement. It elevates a design to the unexpected, and provides an imminent release of energy. It’s slightly contrary to what we’re expecting.
4) Repetition: The repeating of like elements within a composition. This includes: line, form, color, space, texture, pattern, or size.
5) Opposition: Most often seen in the design lines. We create contrast by creating tension because lines, colors or textures within our design are the opposite of what we expect. Opposites attract because their differences provide us with the highest form of interest. Opposition allows us to add excitement and a breath of fresh air to a design by mixing in contrast.
6) Depth and Emphasis: We can create depth in a design by placing elements at various heights in our composition. This will add interest and give the appearance of fullness, as well as more dimension. By adding interest, depth provides emphasis. It brings the inside of a creation into visual focus. Depth adds visual volume to the design. Textural materials are often used to add this dimensional element.
7) Dominance, Focal Area: This is an area within a design where added emphasis or visual weight commands attention. In a focal area, more than one element, or multiples of a single element can be used. It’s the dominant feature within your arrangement. An example would be a single red rose, like the one pictured below.
My latest creation is a Biedermeier arrangement which is a very compact arrangement using flower bulbs with very uniform sizes arranged in tight concentric circles from the center outward. From the top it’s viewed like a target and from the side it looks like a top. Accents are hardly used, sometimes using two or more colors as an option.
In addition to the rows of pink carnations and yellow-orange daisies, I’ve used fruit and vegetables within this centerpiece including: 5 orange slices along the outer rim, 6 brussel sprouts and 5 grape tomatoes. It’s very organic and quite striking! Don’t you think?
Until next time, here’s a kiss and a smile!
]]>Professional floral arrangements come in many shapes and sizes. There is always a plan for the design and this concept shines through in the final shape of the arrangement. Without a plan, the finished product is a mishmash, rather than a controlled design.
There are 11 basic arrangement shapes that professional floral artists should be qualified to create. They are:
1) Symmetrical: When creating a symmetrical design, there must be equal visual balance apparent on either side of the central axis. If there were an imaginary line running from top to bottom through the center of the design, it would visually divide this type of arrangement into two equally balanced parts.
2) Round: All of the flowers and greens in this arrangement fall within the circumference of a circle, thus creating a round shaped design.
3) Asymmetrical: In an asymmetrical design, the central axis moves to the right or left of center. This type of arrangement resembles a right angle. The height of the design meets with the length to form a right angle.
4) Fan: In a fan design, the flowers are placed to form a semicircular shape, with all of the stems flowing into a central focal axis.
5) Oval: The typical oval arrangement is made with a primary flower to define the oval shape and other flowers and greens are used as fillers.
6) Vertical: This distinctive design shape emphasizes height. All of the materials used should be contained within the width of the container.
7) Horizontal: The horizontal line creates a pleasing arc shape, therefore it’s important to keep the arrangement low and ideally quite narrow to reinforce the horizontal impact of the composition.
8) Parallel Systems: A parallel systems arrangement is created by using two or more vertical designs in the same composition. There should be “air” between each parallel grouping of flowers. Sometimes the vertical groupings blend together, but usually the stems are separated into 2-3 zones.
9) Hogarth Curve: The interesting shape of this arrangement forms an “s” curve. A taller, cylindrical container is ideal for the Hogarth curve as it displays the full beauty of its shape. One important technique in creating the Hogarth is to extend the arrangement foam above the container, so that flowers can be inserted properly for the bottom part of the “s” curve.
10) Crescent: The crescent is one of the most difficult shapes to construct because it requires that flowers and greens are carefully shaped to form the crescent curve. Sometimes, materials can be shaped naturally into a crescent line, other times wiring is necessary. Branches, twigs, and bare grass are sometimes used in these arrangements.
11) Rectangular: This is a contemporary arrangement shape. The rectangular design is properly constructed when all flowers and materials fall within the line of an imaginary rectangle. It’s sometimes used in landscaping designs.
Once these basic forms have been mastered, modifications and creative license can be taken to create more contemporary designs.
Here is a bouquet that I created in our latest class. I’ll be describing how to make a bouquet in a future post. Check back soon to learn 2 different bouquet-making techniques.
Hope you enjoyed this newest lesson.
Until next time, here’s a kiss and a smile!
]]>I created the bouquet below by using the binding or bundling technique.
Here’s how I created this bouquet:
1) First, I separated out the different groups of flowers that I was going to be using, keeping like stems together.
2) Then, by holding the flowers in my left hand, I fed the bouquet with my right hand.
3) I continued doing this in a counter clockwise direction.
4) By keeping the stems all in the same direction, I started to get a round form.
5) I used ferns to collar the base of my bouquet.
6) Next, I secured my bouquet with a jay cord, (a piece of string covered with wax). You can use floral design tape, a piece of ribbon or even something as simple as a rubber band to secure the stems.
7) Finally, I wrapped the jay cord tightly around the stems 3-4 times, securing the cord with a knot. Voila — the bouquet was completed.
The second bouquet-making technique is called the Lacing Bouquet Design method. In this type of design, the stems of the bouquet appear in a crisscross fashion.
Here’s how to create a bouquet using the Lacing Bouquet Design method:
1) Start at the bottom of the stem with the foliage.
2) Move your hand up the stem, holding the stem at an angle. From one side, go directly opposite with the next stem.
3) Create a crisscross pattern as you go along.
4) Turn in a clockwise direction.
5) You’ll start to get a round form.
6) Again, you can use ferns to collar the base of your bouquet.
7) Finally, secure your bouquet by wrapping a jay cord, ribbon, or other fastener tightly around the stems 3-4 times. Tie yourself a knot, and your bouquet is finished.
I hope that you’ll find this information helpful and that it may even inspire you to give it a try. Happy bouquet-making!
Until next time, here’s a kiss and a smile!
]]>French braiding a bouquet handle can not only serve to protect the holder from the stems’ possible thorns and/or other uneven surfaces, but it can give a bouquet that extra panache and flair!
Add your personal touch of style to your bouquet with this easy method.
1) Hand-tie your bouquet with wire, floral wrap or even a simple rubber band will do.
2) Measure 5 to 8 yards of ribbon, (wrap the length around the bouquet before cutting to ensure that you have enough ribbon). The ribbon can be 5/8 inch to 2 inches in width.
3) Start at the bottom of the bouquet and begin to wrap the stems. As you bring the 2 ends of the ribbon to the front, crisscross the ribbon, alternately switching the ends to the other hand.
4) Bring the ribbon around the back after each crisscross in the front, keeping the left side under the right side. Repeat this as you move up the stems. Slide the ribbon down the stems as you go so that the braids are closer together.
5) Finish by tying a knot, then a bow over the knot. You can spiral-wrap the stems first with one color and then wrap the ribbon with the French braiding technique using a ribbon of a different color. By making widely spaced braids, you can let the bottom layer show through creating a beautiful contrasted look.
There are many bouquet embellishments to choose from. In addition to the French braided ribbon handles in the bouquets above, you may have noticed the lovely vintage brooches. We’ll explore more of these beauties in an upcoming post. Stay tuned.
Until next time, here’s a kiss and a smile!
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